When other students or my professors ask me how I feel about midterms, I have always believed that they can be very helpful for students here, but the process could use some repair.

Spring midterms represent the halfway point of the semester and the quickly approaching summer break. Midterms do have their benefits; for instance, they tell us where stand at the halfway mark of the semester. They let the students know if they really need to study more and get it together for any upcoming exams and the final, or to keep calm knowing that they have an A in the class.

They also email the student to notify them that they are on the brink of retaking that course again next semester if their grade’s lower than a C.

Midterms do have some benefits for the students at The University of Texas at San Antonio, but as I stated in the beginning, it is the process after midterms where students have issues. The students here are under enough stress because some are taking more than four classes, play a sport or work outside of campus.

Following midterms, instead of professors sending an email to the student letting them know they are possibly going to have to retake the course again – which would discourage the student into believing they do not have a chance of bouncing back and passing the class the professor should communicate one-on-one with the students.

Professors should talk to students to let them know what they need to make on the upcoming assignments, exams and the final to pass the class. Students are not good at calculating their grades. The professors should inform the students on what they need to make on upcoming assignments to pass the class. Communication after midterms between students and professors is what would make midterms more acceptable and even less stressful for students.

While midterms do cause students to become a little discouraged in the classroom, it does give the students a wake-up call. Post midterms, students realize that they are passing, but close to failing. Realizing this, they begin to get their priorities together and focus on what really matters.

They start spending more time at the library and getting ahead on homework or studying on weekends rather than being in their room all day. Yes, students want to have fun in college, especially on the weekends, but that comes later.

Students should be setting goals for themselves, so they would feel that their hard work pays off. Midterms can become a pain to students, but they help them realize what they need to do before it is too late.